Thursday, June 13, 2013

Eagles Ink Trio of Forwards

For immediate release: June 13, 2013

Left to right: Ryan Simpson, Danton Heinen, Dylan Plitt

Surrey, BC - The Surrey Eagles Hockey Club is pleased to announce that forwards Dylan Plitt (1994), Danton Heinen (1995) and Ryan Simpson (1996) have committed to play for the team, beginning in the 2013-2014 season.

"The organization is very excited to add three highly sought after prospects to the Eagles program," said Head Coach and GM Matt Erhart. "Each player brings their own unique skill set, and all three are going to be key contributors for the team going forward."

Plitt comes to the Eagles from Team Comcast U18 where he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 39 games last year. The native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has already committed to attend the University of Vermont and will eventually join former Surrey standouts Brady Shaw, Michael Stenerson and Michael Santaguida along with current Birds forward Drew Best on the Catamounts.

"I'm really looking forward to playing for the Eagles," said Plitt. "I've heard nothing but good things about the coaching staff, and I'm hoping I can help the team out and hopefully win another championship."

Heinen was a key part of the Richmond Sockeyes' run to the Keystone Cup last season. A Langley native, he finished 11th in PIJHL scoring in the regular season, putting up an impressive 21 goals and 28 assists in 49 games. The 17-year-old continued his strong play in the playoffs, scoring 29 points in 25 post-season games as the Sockeyes won the Western Canadian Junior B Championship. He also appeared in two games for the Merritt Centennials last year.

"I've heard a lot of good things about the Eagles," said Heinen. "They seem like a great organization, and I think playing in Surrey will be a great fit for me. They know how to win, and I'm really excited for training camp."

Simpson, who hails from Abbotsford but spent part of his childhood in White Rock, split the 2012-2013 season with the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks and the PIJHL's Aldergrove Kodiaks. The 17-year-old had one point in 16 games with the 'Backs while tallying four goals and 10 assists in 16 games in Aldergrove.

"I'm really excited," said Simpson of joining the Birds. "They've got a great coaching staff that's had success and a good ownership group. Obviously they just won the BCHL title, and I grew up in White Rock, so I'm looking forward to it."

The Eagles would like to welcome Plitt, Heinen and Simpson to the organization.